Yoga Styles - Part 1
...and explain each one. That way you can chose the right yoga style for your needs and goals.
Hatha- This is probably the yoga you think of first. Introduced by Yogi Swatmarama, Asanas (postures) held with Pranayama (breathing techniques) are used as a meditative and physical way to lengthen muscles, limber the joints and free the mind. This yoga teaches you concentration, focus and when you finish practicing you feel elated and dreamy.
Ashtanga Vinyasa- This is the most popular yoga style these days. Ashtanga yoga (or yoga flow) introduced by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, doesn't hold positions nearly as long as other types and doesn't go as much in to breathing techniques, aside from inhale and exhale. Postures flow from one to the next with fluidity. The purpose of ashtanga yoga is to create heat in the body, which leads to purification of the body through increased circulation and sweating. This style is also called "power yoga." It's the most ph...more
Digestive Disorders - Yoga Management
...ved digestion.
Yoga balances all three doshas, and different poses have different effects. Forward bending postures cool Pitta dosha. Twists are good for Kapha because they stimulate digestion. Backward bends are heating, and thus balancing to Vata types, as long as the person has the strength to do them.
** One of the digestive benefits of yoga is that it restricts the blood flow to certain parts of the body while holding some poses. Once these poses are released, this area of the body is then flooded with blood and thus, oxygen. Oxygen has healing properties and is n...more
Yoga teacher Training: Becoming a Yoga teacher after 40
...n, the demand for experienced teachers, who can teach students over 40 years of age, is quite strong. In Europe and North America, the numbers of people turning 50 years of age, at this moment, is huge.
According to some studies, every seven seconds one American becomes 50 years of age. Robin Kocina, President of Mid-America Events & Expos said, "The 55-plus market is growing six times faster than the rest of the population, and is finally beginning to get the recognition it deserves."
Consider these words by Franklin D. Roosevelt: The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Never let fear get in the way of a rational and researched decision.
Copyright 2007 Paul Jerard / Aura Publicationsmore
Discovering The History And Concepts Of Different Branches of Yoga
...History of Hatha Yoga: The history of hatha yoga goes back in the fifteenth century India when Yogi Swatmarama, a sage during those times, introduced it as a form of "a stairway to the heights" of raja Yoga which is the preparatory stage of physical purification that makes the body fit for the practice of higher form of meditation. Hatha yoga is also known to be called as "hatha vidya" and the word "hatha" is a combination of the words, "ha" which means sun "tha" that means moon and they are said to refer to the prinicipal "nadis" or the energy channels of the body and must be fully operational to attain the state of "dhyana" or a certain aspect of meditation.
Some people may link that the origins of hatha yoga which dates back in the tenth or eleventh century with Goraknath, a yogin during those times. However, the oldest surviving text about hatha yoga is the Hatha Yoga Pradipika by yogin, Yogi Swatmarama. The text is said to be taken from old Sanskrit writings and personal yogin experiences of the yogin himself. The text relates about shatkarma, asana, pranayama, chakras, kundalini, bandhas, kriyas, shakti, nadis, and mudras among others.
Concept of Hatha yoga: The total concept of the traditional hatha yoga is a holistic yogic path comprising of moral disciplines, physical exercises, breath control, and meditation. The hatha yoga that is widely practiced and popular in the western countries mainly composed of the "asanas" or postures and other exercises.
Hatha yoga is only one of the two concepts of yoga that concentrates on the physical culture and the other yoga is the raja yoga but both of these are referred to as Ashtanga yoga. The main difference is that the raja yoga concentrates more on the "asanas" or postures to get the body ready for a prolonged meditation that c...more
